Container for carrying hot pizzas and the like

ABSTRACT

A container for carrying hot pizzas and the like, comprising a box ( 1 ) made of cardboard or of a similar material, having a base ( 2 ) and a lid ( 3 ) connected to the base ( 2 ) in such a way that it can be opened and re-closed. The lid ( 3 ) has breather openings ( 16 ) and at least one pair of raised parts ( 13 ) set at a distance apart, which project upwards and have the function, during use, of spacer supports for a similar box superimposed in a stacked condition on the lid ( 3 ). The raised parts conveniently consist of elongated tubular elements ( 13 ) which are integral with the lid ( 3 ).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to containers for carrying hotfood, in particular pizzas and the like.

[0002] The containers for carrying away food that are currently in usetraditionally consist of boxes made of cardboard or of a similarmaterial, having a base and a lid connected to the base in such a waythat it can be opened and re-closed. The side wall of the box is usuallyprovided with breather openings for outflow of the steam that isdeveloped by the pizza during transportation. The said side openingsare, however, inadequate for ensuring effective and complete exit of thesteam, the natural tendency of which is evidently upwards, the steambeing intercepted and condensing against the lid of the box. In additionto the fact that this causes the pizza to go cold very fast, it alsoproduces contamination of the pizza by the steam that condenses againstthe inner wall of the lid, and consequently the organolepticcharacteristics of the pizza or the like inside the container arerapidly degraded, often without any possibility of restoring them evenif the food undergoes re-heating.

[0003] A further serious drawback of conventional boxes lies in thepossibility, which is far from rare, of exit of fluid substances typicalof a pizza (oil, melted cheese, tomato juice) through the side breatheropenings, with evident consequences.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome theabove-mentioned drawbacks.

[0005] According to the invention, the above purpose is achieved byproviding a container of the type specified at the beginning of thepresent description, the main characteristic of which is defined in theensuing Claim 1.

[0006] Further secondary characteristics of the container are defined inClaims 2 to 14.

[0007] The arrangement of the breather openings on the lid of thecontainer, instead of on the side walls, enables the steam, which isgenerated by the pizza or the like inside the container duringtransportation, to come out of the container effectively in a naturalway, with an appreciable reduction of phenomena of condensation on thewalls of the container, and hence of contamination and organolepticdegrading of the pizza. The presence of raised parts projecting from thelid makes it possible to maintain the above effect unaltered also in thecase where the container is transported stacked together with otheridentical containers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Further advantages of the present invention will emerge from theensuing detailed description, with reference to the attached drawings,which are provided purely by way of non-limiting example and in which:

[0009]FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a container according toa first embodiment of the invention, represented in the closed conditionfor transportation of a pizza or the like;

[0010]FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, with the container inthe open position;

[0011]FIG. 3 is cross-sectional view according to the line III-III ofFIG. 1;

[0012]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view according to the line IV-IV ofFIG. 1;

[0013]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view at a larger scale according tothe line V-V of FIG. 1;

[0014]FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 of a variant of thecontainer according to the invention;

[0015]FIG. 7 illustrates the container of FIG. 6 in the open condition;

[0016]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view according to the line VIII-VIIIof FIG. 6; and

[0017]FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view according to the line IX-IX ofFIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] With reference initially to FIGS. 1 to 4, number 1 designates, asa whole, a container according to the invention for carrying hot pizzasand the like, the said container consisting in a box made of cardboardor of a similar material obtained from a single dinked and creased planeplate.

[0019] The box 1, which in the example illustrated has a generallyquadrangular shape, comprises a base 2 with a bottom wall 33 surroundedby walls projecting at right angles upwards, namely, side walls 4, afront wall 5 and a rear wall 6, and a lid 3 articulated to the top sideof the rear wall 6 of the base 2 in such a way that it can turn betweenthe closed position, represented in FIG. 1, and the open position,represented in FIG. 2.

[0020] The front wall 5 has a double thickness and is formed centrallywith an elongated receptacle 7 designed for engagement of a tongue 8which projects from the front side of the lid 3 for retention thereof inthe closed position, in the way that is more clearly visible in FIG. 1.

[0021] The side walls 4 have, at their respective top edges, pairs offlaps 9 which are folded parallel to the plane of the bottom wall 3 ofthe base 2, and between which respective flaps 10 directed upwards inthe plane of said side walls 4 project.

[0022] The lid 3 is formed, at its side margins, with respective flaps11, which are in turn provided with respective folded end tabs 12,normally set in the condition represented in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 and inFIG. 2 for the left-hand flap 11, with reference to the drawing. Theright-hand flap 11 in said drawing is instead represented in a conditionprior to its final placing, during assembly of the box 1. In said finalplacing, the flaps 11 with the corresponding end tabs 12 are foldedtowards the inside of the lid 3 and onto the top face of the latter, insuch a way as to define two elongated tubular raised parts 13 with asubstantially triangular cross section. For fixing of the tubular raisedparts 13 in their operative condition, two tongues 14 are provided whichproject centrally from the free edges of the marginal tabs 12 of theflaps 11 and which are inserted through corresponding slits 15 presentin the lid 3. The conformation of the tongues 14, one of which may beseen in greater detail in FIG. 3, is such that their engagement insidethe slits 15 is substantially irreversible.

[0023] The lid 3 is moreover formed with a plurality of slits 16,arranged, for instance, like spokes, as in the case of the exampleillustrated, which define respective breather openings.

[0024] In the closed condition of the box 1 represented in FIGS. 1, 3and 4, the rear wall 6 of the base 2 is set in the upright position,with rear appendages 17 of the flaps 9 engaged inside correspondingopenings 18 in the way represented in detail in FIG. 5, and with thetongue 8 inserted inside the receptacle 7. The tubular raised parts 13extend parallel to the side walls 4 of the base 2, and the flaps 10project above the maximum level of said tubular raised parts 13.

[0025] Thanks to the arrangement described above, and in particular tothe configuration of the breather openings 16, the steam produced duringuse by the pizza or the like inserted inside the container 1 is able tocome out effectively and naturally upwards, appreciably reducing theformation of condensate on the inner face of the lid 3, and consequentlyreducing any risk of degradation due to hydration of the pizza itself.

[0026] The tubular raised parts 13 enable, during use, positioning, onthe lid 3 of the box 1, of a similar or identical box, which is shownpartially and is designated by 1′ in FIG. 4, in such a way that the twoboxes are stacked one on top of the other. The base of the box 1′ set atthe top is thus kept at a distance from the lid 3 of the underlying box1, and any possible obstruction of the breather openings 15 is in thisway prevented. The side flaps 10 in this case conveniently act as arrestsides for lateral containment of the overlying box 1′.

[0027] According to another aspect of the invention, the base 2 of thebox 1 may conveniently be formed integrally with a circular dish 19,which is formed integrally with the bottom wall 33 by simple pressureforming, and the circumferential edge of which is joined to theremaining part of the bottom wall 33 of the base 2 conveniently by meansof a pre-dinked perimetral line 20 designed to render extremelyconvenient the separation of said dish from the base 2.

[0028] The dish 19, which is designed to enable the user to consume athis own convenience the pizza previously housed in the container 1, canbe formed with a series of ribs 21 in relief, which are also made bypressure forming and which have the function of keeping the pizza at adistance from the bottom 33 of the base 2 during transportation.

[0029] The variant of the container represented in FIGS. 6 to 9 isconceptually similar to the embodiment described previously withreference to FIGS. 1 to 6, and in what follows only the differences willbe described in detail, using the same reference numbers for the partsthat are identical or similar.

[0030] In the aforesaid variant, the container, designated as a whole by101, is also provided with breather slits 16, which are present only onthe lid 3, and said lid 3 is also formed with a pair of integral raisedparts which are set at a distance from one another and which, duringuse, have the function of supports for a similar box 101′ (FIG. 8),which is stacked on top of the lid 3. Also the said raised parts,designated by 23, consist of a pair of elongated tubular elements, inthis case having a generally quadrangular cross section, and are definedby flaps 24, 25, 26 which are folded towards the outside (instead oftowards the inside as in the previous case) of the lid 3. The end flaps24 are in turn provided with respective tongues 28 which, in the closedcondition of the lid 3 with respect to the base 2, engage insidecorresponding slits 27 formed between the side walls 4 of said base andthe corresponding flaps 9.

[0031] The sides for lateral arrest of the box 101′ stacked on top ofthe box 101 are formed, in the present case, by dinked tabs 29 of theflaps 25 of the tubular raised parts 23, which project upwards parallelto the side walls 4 of the base 2.

[0032] Of course, the details of construction and the embodiments mayvary widely with respect to what is described and illustrated herein,without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention. Thearrangement and configuration of the breather openings 16 of the lid 3,as well as the arrangement, number and conformation of the tubularraised parts 23, may thus differ, from the constructional standpoint,from what has been described purely by way of example with reference tothe drawings.

What is claimed is:
 1. A container for carrying hot pizzas and the like,comprising a box (1; 101) made of cardboard or of a similar material,having a base (2) and a lid (3) connected to the base (2) in such a waythat it can be opened and re-closed, said lid (3) having breatheropenings (16) and at least one pair of raised parts (13; 23) set at adistance apart, which project upwards and have the function, during use,of spacer supports for a similar box (1′; 101′) superimposed in astacked condition on said lid (3).
 2. The container according to claim1, wherein said base (2) is without breather openings.
 3. The containeraccording to claim 1, wherein said raised parts (13; 23) are formedintegrally with the lid (3).
 4. The container according to claim 3,wherein said raised parts (13; 23) consist of side flaps (11, 12; 24,25, 26) folded so as to define elongated tubular elements.
 5. Thecontainer according to claim 4, wherein said flaps (11; 12) are foldedtowards the inside of the lid (3) and have respective marginalappendages (14) engaged through the corresponding retention slits (16)of the lid (3).
 6. The container according to claim 4, wherein saidflaps (24, 25, 26) are folded towards the outside of the lid (3) andhave respective marginal appendages (28) engaged in correspondingretention slits (27) of the base (2).
 7. The container according toclaim 1, further comprising arrest sides (10; 29) which project upwardsbeyond said raised parts (13; 23) for containment of the aforesaidsimilar box (1′; 101′) set in a stacked condition on top of said lid(3).
 8. The container according to claim 7, wherein said arrest sides(10) are formed by flaps integral with the base (2).
 9. The containeraccording to claim 7, wherein said arrest sides (29) are formed by flapsintegral with said raised parts (23).
 10. The container according toclaim 1 formed by a single dinked and creased plate.
 11. The containeraccording to one claim 1, wherein said base (2) has a bottom wall (33)in which a dish (19) is integrally formed, said dish (19) beingseparable from said bottom wall (33).
 12. The container according toclaim 11, wherein said base dish (19) has a plurality of projectingparts (21).
 13. The container according to claim 1, whereinsaid breatheropenings of the lid (3) consist of a set of slits (16) arranged in theform of spokes.